tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post8272591612247583176..comments2024-03-18T19:46:10.130+05:30Comments on Jabberwock: If you dine with the Devil...Jabberwockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-40942893820999170442010-02-21T11:43:45.765+05:302010-02-21T11:43:45.765+05:30Checked out this film last week. Loved it.
I thou...Checked out this film last week. Loved it.<br /><br />I thought the actress who played Jabez Stone's wife bore a striking resemblance to Olivia de Havilland, both in looks and manner.<br /><br />And yes, I was surprised to see Edward Arnold playing Webster, having seen him sell his soul to the Devil in a lot of Capra pictures.<br /><br />RKO is probably my favourite studio from the 30s-40s. It was the home for the first two great Orson Welles pics, the Astaire-Rogers movies, Hitchcock's two best films of the forties - Suspicion and Notorious, Kate Hepburn's finest films - Bringing up Baby/Stagedoor, and also some of the greatest noirs of all time - Angel Face, Out of the Past for instance.<br /><br />The MGM films, while outnumbering RKO in quantity, seem so undistinguished and dated.shrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-35189958476959387462009-07-16T21:57:49.530+05:302009-07-16T21:57:49.530+05:30Jani: thanks!
I thought the actor playing Jabez w...Jani: thanks!<br /><br /><i>I thought the actor playing Jabez was a tad weak.That character had the potential of being fleshed out in a more complex way.Somebody like Jimmy Stewart in that role would have propelled this movie to all time greatness.</i><br /><br />Rahul: two possibilities here. One is what you suggest: I admit to salivating at the thought of a really good Stewart performance as Jabez, to offset the very different performances of Huston, Arnold and Simon - WHAT a varied acting ensemble that would make!<br /><br />But one might also argue that the film would be best with Jabez remaining a nondescript character, a human MacGuffin without a personality of his own (even if he has the biggest role in the film) - allowing the Devil and Webster to make the film their own. I thought the idea was that Jabez and his wife are supposed to be vapid characters. Difficult to say.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-83710347272227682642009-07-09T18:57:52.838+05:302009-07-09T18:57:52.838+05:30Reached your place web-hopping, and was astonished...Reached your place web-hopping, and was astonished to see so many good original reviews of so many great books/films.<br />Great to know that you not only get time to watch/read so many things but also get time to review/write about all :)<br />Have instantly become a fan of this wonderful blog and you can expect more frequent visits :)Janihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07087587602096763199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-70852371566322176442009-07-09T09:53:50.128+05:302009-07-09T09:53:50.128+05:30I thought the actor playing Jabez was a tad weak.T...I thought the actor playing Jabez was a tad weak.That character had the potential of being fleshed out in a more complex way.Somebody like Jimmy Stewart in that role would have propelled this movie to all time greatness.<br />I was reminded of the Savitri Satyavan story and also the story of Job from the Semitic traditions.<br />I noticed that anti patriotic bit too-that was a really nice angle.Probably this is the only way such things could be included in the story-being mouthed by the villain.<br />Oh yes, Simone Simon is hot!Rahulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08600228969911790479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-12678395504117576192009-07-09T08:39:38.098+05:302009-07-09T08:39:38.098+05:30...not the least of which is The Curse of the Cat ...<i>...not the least of which is The Curse of the Cat People for RKO and producer Val Lewton.</i><br /><br />Yes, some of the scenes in this film have the shadowy, otherworldly quality of the Lewton movies. And Simone Simon was in the two <i>Cat People</i> films.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-48283047499259238722009-07-09T01:38:12.805+05:302009-07-09T01:38:12.805+05:30And of course, it was edited by Robert Wise, who a...And of course, it was edited by Robert Wise, who also edited Citizen Kane, and went on to direct many a wonderful movie himself, not the least of which is The Curse of the Cat People for RKO and producer Val Lewton.<br /><br />http://dadsmovies.blogspot.comChristi and Eddie and Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10904066279080955576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-89863454070751789742009-07-08T23:44:32.853+05:302009-07-08T23:44:32.853+05:30Wasn't aware of this movie.
However, I wouldn&...Wasn't aware of this movie.<br />However, I wouldn't be surprised to see Walter Huston pull off anything. Seen him in Dodsworth and Treasure of Sierra Madre. Two very different roles. In fact, I could scarcely believe I was watching the same guy.shrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-40610956166822224332009-07-08T23:00:43.033+05:302009-07-08T23:00:43.033+05:30Thanks! You do a pretty good comment.Thanks! You do a pretty good comment.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-42489530911236102152009-07-08T22:31:31.668+05:302009-07-08T22:31:31.668+05:30you do good reviewyou do good reviewlkajfdslkjdfohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04127552225032725186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-85846195050114649422009-07-08T13:08:33.640+05:302009-07-08T13:08:33.640+05:30Yes, but was Hewitt's shaitan as fetching as L...Yes, but was Hewitt's shaitan as fetching as Liz Hurley in the <i>Bedazzled</i> remake? <br /><br />I'm a big Hopkins fan but somehow the idea of him playing Daniel Webster makes me want to definitely not see the film. He's done too much of that sort of thing already.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-76466295324939167872009-07-08T11:28:51.372+05:302009-07-08T11:28:51.372+05:30The film was remade as "Shortcut to Happiness...The film was remade as "Shortcut to Happiness" (2007) with Alec Baldwin as Jabez Stone, Anthony Hopkins as Daniel Webster and Jennifer Love Hewitt as the Devil. Nothing much to write home about, really, except that Hewitt makes a far more fetching Devil than Walter Huston, even if she can't really act.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04970190027948717618noreply@blogger.com